“We’ll train you”: what to check before you accept

“We’ll train you” is one of the most useful things an employer can say, and plenty of them mean it. The good ones will be glad you asked the questions below.

The engineers who get caught out usually didn’t ask them. We’ve spoken to engineers who took a pay cut for training that never arrived, and to others who failed probation because 12-hour days left no time to do the course. Both were avoidable.

Ask for the plan, not the promise

Actions, not words. Before you accept, ask:

• Which course, with which provider, and when is it booked?
• Who pays, and is it done in work time or your own time?
• What happens if the course is cancelled or you don’t pass first time?
• Who’ll mentor you on site, and for how long?

A real plan has dates. If the answer is “we’ll sort it once you start”, ask for it in writing anyway.

If we’ve placed engineers with that employer before, we’ll put you in touch with one of them. Ten minutes with someone who’s been through it tells you more than any interview.

Check there’s time to do it

Training that has to fit around a full workload rarely happens. Ask how your first few months will be structured. Will you shadow before you work alone? Will your hours be protected while you’re studying? Is the course inside your probation period, and will you be judged on it?

Know what the qualification actually gives you

HV trained isn’t HV authorised. HSE guidance (HSG85) says the person who issues electrical permits-to-work should be authorised in writing by the employer, for specified equipment or systems. A certificate from a course doesn’t do that on its own, and authorisation doesn’t move with you: a new employer has to assess and authorise you on its own systems. Ask whether they’ll authorise you, on which systems and by when.

Get the 18th Edition booked, not promised. If the role needs it and you haven’t got it, ask for the course to be named in the offer. The current City & Guilds qualification is 2382-26.

Know your F-gas category. Category I covers all activities. The other categories are narrower: Category II covers most work on smaller systems (under 3 kg, or 6 kg if hermetically sealed), Category III recovery only on those same smaller systems, and Category IV leak checks without breaking into the circuit. Don’t confuse a company certificate, such as REFCOM, with your own personal qualification. You need the personal one, and it’s yours to keep.

There’s been talk of changes to F-gas certification in Great Britain. Defra’s 2025 consultation covered the HFC phasedown, not technician certification. Defra has said it’s talking to industry about future training rules for non-F-gas refrigerants, but nothing has changed yet. Don’t let anyone sell you a course on the back of a rule change that hasn’t happened.

Read the repayment clause

Training repayment clauses are common and can be fair. An employer who spends thousands on your training is entitled to some protection if you leave the following week. What matters is whether the clause is clear and reasonable. This isn’t legal advice, but these are the points to check:

• It should be agreed in writing before the training starts. An employer can only deduct from pay if a written contract term or written agreement allows it. Acas says the agreement must be in place before the course begins.
• It can’t take you below the minimum wage if the training is a requirement of the job. That applies even if the repayment only kicks in when you leave. The Employment Appeal Tribunal confirmed this in HMRC v Ant Marketing.
• It should be proportionate. A clause that reduces the amount owed over time, for example over 12 or 24 months, is good practice. Courts and tribunals can refuse to enforce a clause that’s out of all proportion to the employer’s legitimate interest. That protection is narrower than many people think, so get the terms right before you sign rather than counting on a challenge later.
• Check what else it covers. Some clauses include tools or equipment as well as courses. Know what you’d owe, and when.

Probation and the six-month line

There’s no legal minimum or maximum length for probation. From 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal falls from two years to six months.

That’s good for employees overall, and most employers will run probation fairly. But if your training is scheduled for month five, ask how your probation will be judged before it’s finished. Ask when the reviews happen and what’s measured at each one.

A quick checklist

• The training plan, with dates, in writing.
• Protected time to do it.
• For HV, a commitment to written authorisation, and on which systems.
• The repayment clause, read before you sign, with a sliding scale.
• Probation reviews that line up with the training.

If an employer answers all of that clearly, the promise is probably real. If you’d like help asking, talk to us.

---

Sources: Employment Rights Act 1996, s13; Acas, Deductions for training courses (updated May 2026); HMRC National Minimum Wage Manual, NMWM11215; HMRC v Ant Marketing Ltd (EAT, UKEAT/0051/19); Cavendish Square Holding BV v Makdessi [2015] UKSC 67; Acas, Probation periods (updated July 2026); Acas, Employment Rights Act 2025 (updated 25 Sept 2026); HSE, HSG85 Electricity at work: safe working practices; City & Guilds, 2382 qualification page; gov.uk, F-gas qualifications (updated Mar 2026); REFCOM, F-gas certification; Defra, F-gas regulation in Great Britain consultation (2025).